Murphy: I wish I had stayed at Liverpool and fought for my place

Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy says he regrets leaving the club before they won the Champions League under Rafael Benitez.

The ex-midfielder joined the Reds from Crewe Alexandra at the age of 20 and spent seven years with the Anfield outfit.

He won the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups during his time at Liverpool, but left to join Charlton in 2004 having made almost 250 appearances in all competitions.

The following year, Liverpool went on to finish fifth in the English top-flight and lose the League Cup final to Chelsea, but Benitez’s men stunned Europe by claiming the Champions League crown in thrilling fashion.

The Reds trailed Carlo Ancelotti’s AC Milan 3-0 at half-time, but bounced back in the second-half to tie 3-3 before beating the Italian giants in a penalty shootout.

Missing out on that historic campaign is one of Murphy’s biggest regrets, as he admits he wishes he had stayed at Anfield even though he would likely have been limited to a minor role.

“I feel very blessed. I feel lucky to have played for the team I supported and loved growing up. It's all I ever wanted to do,” he told BBC Sport. “To win trophies playing for the team you love as well is very surreal. It's probably only when you look back now in hindsight that you realise the enormity of it.

“The only thing for me of course is that the year I left they won the Champions League. Maybe I could have stayed and fought a bit harder under Rafa.

“It was a difficult decision for me at the time because I was so used to playing and I loved playing. He made it clear to me more than once that that wasn't going to be the case, so I had a difficult choice to make in a short period.

“People say they have no regrets. Well, I do, I regret not staying, but life is what it is. It was a wonderful seven years for me and being part of that Liverpool family is still very special to me.”